Some butterfly species only move a very short distance once they emerge from their pupa stage; even a small stretch of unfavourable habitat can act as an insuperable obstacle.

Where the populations of these species have become very fragmented, these obstacles prevent the butterflies from dispersing and successfully colonising new areas.

Fragmentation of habitat is a serious problem for butterflies such as the Silver-spotted Skipper, a species of well-grazed chalk grassland, and the Pearl-bordered Fritillary, a woodland species.

Silver-spotted Skipper requires very short chalk downland turf whilst The Pearl-bordered Fritillary requires regularly worked coppice woodlands where violets thrive.

Find out more about Woodland Fritillaries here.

The Great Adventurers

Other species of butterflies and moths are great travellers - the most famous of which is probably the Monarch (otherwise known as the Milkweed butterfly) which flies phenomenal distances between Canada and Mexico where the adults spend the winter. This butterfly sometimes turns up in the UK, always a very exciting event. Go to The Monarch Story here.

Many of our butterflies and moths are regular migrants from continental Europe. Some of them are now managing to survive the winters here as the climate changes, so may soon be considered to be 'residents' rather than immigrants.

The Red Admiral is perhaps the most obvious of these - people have got used to seeing them in their gardens in most months of the year. Harsh winter frosts used to kill them off, but now they are surviving in sheltered places.

The Clouded Yellow is a common sight on the continent but until recently has only appeared in the UK as a summer migrant. Certain years stand out as being 'clouded yellow years', probably due to particularly successful breeding seasons in Europe and strong southerly airstreams.

It now appears that this species is surviving the winter in warm places in southern England - on the sea cliffs of Dorset and Hampshire for example.

Find out more about Clouded Yellow migrations here.

Another very attractive butterfly which is seen with increasing regularity in the UK is the Painted Lady, a global species which until recently has not been able to survive UK winters.

In May 1996, gigantic numbers of Painted Ladies arrived on the south coast of Britain and swept across the country, with some settling to breed but many more continuing northwards and eventually out to sea from Wales and Scotland.

Some of them reached Iceland and Greenland, but the vast majority of them would have failed to find land, so would have drowned.

Find out more about Painted Lady migrations here.

Click here for further information about migrations of Butterflies and Moths.

Gallery of Images

To see a gallery of images showing butterfly species that arrive in the UK as migrants here.

And although they are nothing like so obvious, the moth migrants are also very important - this year's immigrant species may well successfully colonise our country and be the new residents in years to come.

Look at the gallery of images here .